RUSSIAN, DPRK, SOUTH KOREAN EXPERTS TO DISCUSS RAILROAD REUNIFICATION

MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti) - Diplomats, financiers and technical experts from Russia, the DPRK and South Korea plan to hold this month in Moscow a meeting on issues of the reunification of railroads of the two Koreas, to be connected with the Transsiberian Mainline later, Gennady Fadeyev, the head of the Russian Railways state company, said Monday.

In his words, representatives of foreign and finance ministries of the three countries, as well as those involved in development of this project's main trends will attend the meeting. Later, talks at a higher level will be held.

The Russian Railways company has worked out three variants of the project to connect the Transkorean Mainline with the Transsiberian Mainline (Transsib) and spent some 500 million rubles (some $17.5 million) of its own funds, said Mr. Fadeyev. He did not give details about these variants.

Chung Tae Ik, the South Korean ambassador to Moscow, said each country will choose the proper variant proceeding from, in particular, the profitability and volumes of required investments.

South Korea and the DPRK held on June 14, 2003, in a demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas, a symbolic ceremony of connecting the two railroads. But for railway communication to start between Seoul and Pyongyang, additional work beyond the demilitarized zone is required.